Ajit Pawar alleges graft in PM Awas Yojana, Smart City schemes at election rally in Pune

Pimpri Chinchwad (Maharashtra) [India], January 7 : Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar has alleged large-scale corruption in civic works, ahead of the upcoming civic polls. While Pawar has not taken the name of any party or leader, his attack has come a few weeks after his party announced that they will contest the civic polls against their Mahayuti partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Addressing the public gathering, Pawar highlighted his long association with the city and asserted that his political work has always been centred on the welfare of common people.
"While thinking continuously about the welfare of ordinary people, we have reached where we are today, and we must continue to work further for their well-being. I want to tell all of you once again that even though Baramati is my birthplace, Pimpri Chinchwad is my karmabhoomi (land of work). As long as I am alive, I will never forget Pimpri Chinchwad. This is my promise. As long as I have strength in my hands, I will use the power and position entrusted to me only to work for the common people. I will never discriminate on the basis of community," Pawar said.
The NCP chief further alleged irregularities in the tendering process and accused those in power of intimidation and financial mismanagement.
"These days, the tenders issued here are being rigged. There is dadagiri being done, which causes huge losses. We cannot allow this to continue. Friends, I have gathered information; I have all the details of how far down they have gone in corruption. A campaign was run here for the sterilisation of stray dogs, and even in that, there was corruption and money was siphoned off. This is the kind of administration that is being run here," he stated.
Pawar also alleged corruption in major government schemes and urban development projects.
"There has been corruption even in projects like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and the Smart City initiative. We brought CBSE into government schools to improve their standards so that even poor children could learn English and receive a good education. But these people indulged in corruption even in Smart City schools. TVs were to be installed at a cost of ₹55,000, but bills were raised for ₹1.5 lakh," he said.
Targeting the functioning of the municipal corporation, Pawar claimed that corruption had pushed the civic body into financial distress and damaged its reputation.
"All this was done to loot the Municipal Corporation, push it into debt, and defame it. The extent of corruption is such that a Standing Committee chairman, whose father was an MLA, was caught red-handed by anti-corruption officials in 2021 while accepting a bribe. Just imagine the condition of the Municipal Corporation's Standing Committee. In this manner, efforts have been made to defame this city across Maharashtra, and there are many more such instances," he added.
The remarks come amid the ongoing civic election campaign in the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation area, where corruption and governance have emerged as major political flashpoints. Voting for the election will be on January 15, while the results are to be announced on January 16.